impossibility
Americannoun
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the state or quality of being impossible
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something that is impossible
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of impossibility
1350–1400; Middle English impossibilite < Late Latin impossibilitās. See im- 2, possibility
Explanation
An impossibility is something that can never, ever happen. Eating ice cream without getting a stomach ache afterward is an impossibility for people who are lactose intolerant. You might start to suspect the impossibility of finding an affordable apartment in New York once you start looking for one, or fear the impossibility that you'll ever pass your French class if you struggle with conjugating verbs. When something's impossible, it can't happen or exist, and an impossibility is impossible. Both words come from the Latin impossibilis, "not possible," from the roots im-, "not," and possibilis, "that can be done."
Vocabulary lists containing impossibility
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But beyond the material hardships, many describe a similar feeling: the impossibility of unplugging from their problems.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Without equal citizenship, equal voting rights, and equal opportunity to elect representatives of one’s choice, republican government was an impossibility.
From Slate ● Jun. 3, 2026
Mangione’s reasons succinctly reflect a society where consistently reliable healthcare is a virtual impossibility without millions of dollars at your disposal.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2026
The beauty of what we made and the impossibility of where it could go.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
During a car trip to nearby Aurora, they “talked over the impossibility of our union....The reasons we both enumerated very calmly—and they seemed weighty indeed.”
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Spaeny: The great thing about this show is that it’s zeroing in on everyday impossibilities of life, the things that should be so simple, but drive us all up the wall.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
She said: "I went back to work post maternity leave. It has always felt impossible. Every day has felt like an exercise in logistical impossibilities, and we got through it."
From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2025
Each explores forgiveness and the wages of emotional damage, and incorporates those psychological trials into stories fueled in some way by an all-consuming desire to realize one of life's impossibilities: a do-over.
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2022
“When people get confronted with impossibilities, they often change their memories to make it make sense,” she added.
From New York Times ● Jun. 10, 2022
The human psyche was much more flexible than I’d imagined, capable of expanding to contain all sorts of contradictions and seeming impossibilities.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
